Linking Poverty and Licensing in a Comprehensive Philosophy

An editorial in the Orange County Register makes the important connection between poverty, welfare, and occupational licensing:

Following the critical passage of tax reform, congressional Republicans and President Trump might now turn their attention to reforming at least some of the nation’s vast, too often ineffective social safety net. …

Ultimately, of course, the best way to combat poverty is to ensure America’s economy continues to grow and jobs remain accessible to as many Americans as possible. Tax reform and Trump’s halt on excessive new regulations are important steps toward that. But the White House and Congress shouldn’t be content with that. Other areas are ripe for improvement as well, like occupational licensing reform to remove artificial barriers to work.

For a while, it seems, the political right lost sight of the need for competing visions. People’s political views tend to result from some sort of balance between freedom and security (not only for themselves, but as organizing principles for the benefit of others). It isn’t sufficient, therefore, to combat the statist vision of tasking government with everybody’s well-being and simply (simplistically) making it so with simply cutting taxes and taking all limits off of the wealthy.

Of course, very few people really hold that second view, but the actual philosophy that it caricatures has to be better articulated. Part of removing limits, for one, means removing them from the poor and working class, as well, which should place a market-driven pressure on the wealthy that is greater than the supposed pressure that government manages. (I’m always mystified that the same people who warn that the rich control government think they can use government to limit the rich.)

Similarly, the case has to be made that the outcomes that the pro-license advocates claim to be protecting us against aren’t really a danger or don’t justify the heavy hand pushing down on individuals’ opportunity and our economic health.